Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, June 27

Silene regia, Platycodon "Hakone Blue"

Happy Saturday! Don in Kansas has posted severa; interesting recent snapshots, some of which remind me of fireworks. Flower fireworks could come in handy where sensitive pets live, or where drought has resulted in restrictions on noisy fireworks.

Balloon flowers are easy from seed and can bloom their first year, as can Silene regia.

The place I live is allegedly the real "Smallville," Superman's home town. Every June there is a "Smallville Festival" here celebrating comic books and related cultural matters. This year's festival was smaller than usual, with less cosplay than I expected, but at least there was Supergirl.

Braille flag

I spotted this flag near the festival site.

Sounds interesting! Love the Braille flag. Click on the link for more great photos of Supergirl and Krypto, Don's delightful daylilies at their peak, fiery-looking Asclepias tuberosa and more.

Another daylily expert in The Horde!

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

By-Tor has more milestones from his container garden:

June 4:

A warm almost summer day calls for a fried green tomato sandwich, straight from my garden.
It's sweet, it's sour, it's salty, it's perfect. Slice, dip in flour, salt and pepper then fry until crispy. Eat on white bread. Nothing fancy here.

Not fancy, just good.

June 22 Garden is progressing nicely. One tomato plant is almost as tall as me.
Also, this week’s haul.

RED TOMATOES IN JUNE! And more! Impressive for a container garden!

Is there anything better than a homegrown tomato out of your own garden?
Here I had two tomatoes, Greek olives, pepperoni and Korean pickled radishes, drizzled with olive oil.
So the answer is no, nothing better.

Mmmm Thanks for the recipe!

Puttering

Surviving the summer heat in the UK

Good morning. I’m on my way to the fair to see if there’s any treasure to buy! Then back to just finish off the flowers I cut yesterday evening.
I’ll catch up later ☀️☀️☀️ pic.twitter.com/nQisXK93ep
— Garden Brocante (@GardenBrocante) June 27, 2026

Gardens of The Horde

Anything going on in your garden?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, June 20

I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:40 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 I could have been first.

Posted by: Weasel at June 27, 2026 01:44 PM (64qRd)

2 Loser!

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at June 27, 2026 01:46 PM (Kt19C)

3 Weasel!!!

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at June 27, 2026 01:48 PM (etq//)

4 Hi
Glad I stopped by before heading out for my walk. I bought a balloon flower plant recently and loving the purple color. It is such a bright spot looking out the window especially because today is the last bloom on my daylily. The problem with a terrace container garden is you run out of flowers really quickly.
🌸🪻🌼🥀🌻

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at June 27, 2026 01:49 PM (kJmSS)

5 Nice-looking tomatoes! Mine are right behind you. Behind, because it has been so very DRY here. Less that 4 inches of precipitation of any kind so far for the year.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 01:50 PM (nAPfc)

6 SMH!!

Posted by: Weasel at June 27, 2026 01:50 PM (vakLI)

7 2 Loser!
Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at June 27, 2026 01:46 PM (Kt19C)
----
Don't be hard on yourself. 2nd is first loser!

Posted by: Weasel at June 27, 2026 01:52 PM (vakLI)

8 FIRST!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 27, 2026 01:52 PM (2YhKe)

9 My lawn tractor is assembled and functional now! It's a Yard Force electric, capable of mowing two acres on a single charge. It has headlights, crusie control and a cup holder. It is way more than I need. I'm going to put a hitch on it, so that I can use it to move my trailer around and for a yard to move debris. Tomorrow, it will get to tackle the weeds.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 27, 2026 01:52 PM (bkuEU)

10 Nature can be beautiful.

It can also kill you.

Plan accordingly.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 27, 2026 01:52 PM (2YhKe)

11 Sparklers not permitted this year in parts of Utah. Anywhere else?

Posted by: KT at June 27, 2026 01:55 PM (rdeQO)

12 Nature can be beautiful.

It can also kill you.

Plan accordingly.
Posted by: Sponge
__

This^

Have bears and other critters roaming the woods surrounding the property.

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at June 27, 2026 01:56 PM (etq//)

13 I'm right at my 15 photo guideline this week. If you have sent photos in which haven't appeared yet, this may be the reason.

Posted by: KT at June 27, 2026 01:56 PM (rdeQO)

14
Have bears and other critters roaming the woods surrounding the property.
Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at June 27, 2026 01:56 PM (etq//)

All things considered, this is awesome.

*hugs*

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 27, 2026 01:56 PM (2YhKe)

15 Sparklers not permitted this year in parts of Utah. Anywhere else
_-_
Unless we get a couple of inches of rain here soon, we'll be savin' the fireworks for later when it does rain.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 01:57 PM (nAPfc)

16 Good afternoon Greenthumbs
More like puttering here

Posted by: Skip at June 27, 2026 01:57 PM (Ia/+0)

17 The variety 'Lemon Boy Hybrid' is recommended for picking green to use for fried green tomatoes. Maybe because it's firm, or maybe because of it's ripe color. Don't know.

Posted by: KT at June 27, 2026 01:58 PM (rdeQO)

18 Sparklers not permitted this year in parts of Utah. Anywhere else?
Posted by: KT at June 27, 2026 01:55 PM (rdeQO)

We are heading to Broken Bow, OK for the July 4th weekend. I'm guessing there will be no such ban there as I'm sure they've received much of the 15 inches of rain over the past 7 days that Texas did in that area.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 27, 2026 01:59 PM (2YhKe)

19 We did manage to grow spinach and cilantro abundantly for the first time this year - took lots of extra watering, but it thrived. Bolting now...

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 01:59 PM (519rY)

20 ----
Don't be hard on yourself. 2nd is first loser!
Posted by: Weasel at June 27, 2026 01:52 PM (vakLI)

*fistbump*

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 27, 2026 02:00 PM (2YhKe)

21 {{{Sponge}}}

I'm more concerned with the two-legged varmints.

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at June 27, 2026 02:02 PM (etq//)

22 I'm more concerned with the two-legged varmints.
Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at June 27, 2026 02:02 PM (etq//)

Valid.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 27, 2026 02:07 PM (2YhKe)

23 Not sure why it corrected my post, but I will get a cart to move debris.

I have not been able to deal with this, due to fighting a cold and the fact that we had rain. So the box has been in the front yard and it was making the neighbor kids crazy. I was able to hire someone to put it together. And I now have the back yard fenced. When I finally get the weeds under control, it will look pretty good.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 27, 2026 02:08 PM (bkuEU)

24 That top photo is spectacular! Love those colors together.

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 27, 2026 02:17 PM (f1VM4)

25 I planted garlic for the first time this year - 9 or so bulbs that just took off, got about eight inches tall, then promptly died back I think there was a fungus on the leaves (or something).

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 02:23 PM (nAPfc)

26 Lemon Boy Hybrid

The old negro blues musician?

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at June 27, 2026 02:25 PM (Kt19C)

27 Old Blind Lemon, he was not so blind...

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 02:26 PM (nAPfc)

28 Iguess all the gardeners are out weedin', waterin', and harvestin'.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 02:34 PM (nAPfc)

29 Hula ho'n

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at June 27, 2026 02:38 PM (Kt19C)

30 Hula ho'n
_-_
The weeder with the wiggle...or so goes the slogan...

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 02:42 PM (nAPfc)

31
I'm looking at those beautiful home-grown veggies and wondering why we can't have tastier produce in America. I bought a bag of Washington! Cherries! at Ralph's a few days ago and wound up throwing most of them away (I'm house-sitting and these people don't mulch).

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at June 27, 2026 02:43 PM (XJ22o)

32 Those are very patriotic flowers!

Posted by: Emmie at June 27, 2026 02:43 PM (pAWWf)

33 Iguess all the gardeners are out weedin', waterin', and harvestin'.
Posted by: Don in SoCo
___

I'm sitting on my porch watching hummingbirds fight.

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at June 27, 2026 02:43 PM (etq//)

34 Those are some pneumatic tomatoes!

My maters are doing splendiferously and I bet I'll have a couple Independence Day maters by, well, Independence Day. Alice's Dream is grooving along and my cherries are poppin'. This is turning out to be a great season, at least before the heat hits, which is next week.

I think my unidentified seedling is growing up to be a Rebel Starfighter Prime, which is nice.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at June 27, 2026 02:44 PM (kpS4V)

35 Hi AHE!!!

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at June 27, 2026 02:46 PM (etq//)

36 Good to know about Lemon Boy being suitable for FGTs, since I've got one and it's going great guns.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at June 27, 2026 02:47 PM (kpS4V)

37 This is the happy time in my garden. Things are growing and blooming and the weeds, pests, and diseases haven't conquered my plants yet.

Posted by: Emmie at June 27, 2026 02:47 PM (pAWWf)

38 Howdy SMH!

Loved those photos of your new digs. Nice porch-to-house ratio.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at June 27, 2026 02:48 PM (kpS4V)

39 I'm sitting on my porch watching hummingbirds fight.
Posted by: SMH at God's mercy
*****
We used to do the same in our back patio in CA...never knew hummingbirds were so territorial, nor that they were so strategic in guarding "their" space...

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at June 27, 2026 02:49 PM (IQ6Gq)

40 I'm sitting on my porch watching hummingbirds fight.
_-_
Fight, fight, fight!!!

I planted way too much of everything too close together this year to see what I could get away with....worked well for some plants, not so well for others. Fine for the greens, but maybe I'll space out the tomato plants more next time.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 02:49 PM (nAPfc)

41 Ever notice that if you move the accent on the word asparagus to the third syllable, it sounds like the name of a Roman Emporer?

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 02:51 PM (nAPfc)

42 Emperor...there...that's it.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 27, 2026 02:52 PM (nAPfc)

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